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03/28/2024 06:14:01 am

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American Teen Shannon Maureen Conley Pleads Guilty For Conspiring With ISIL Fiancé

Shannon Maureen Conley

(Photo : FACEBOOK)

An American teenager Shannon Maureen Conley pleaded guilty to terrorism charges on Wednesday morning for conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State (ISIL) militants in the Middle East.

Conley, 19, of Arvada, Colorado admitted to the court that she had received training in preparation for joining the jihadists in Syria.

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A recent convert to Islam, Conley underwent firearms and military tactics training with the U.S. Army Explorers and earned a certificate in nursing/first aid earlier this year to join her online fiancé, an Islamic State fighter.

According to official statements released by the Department of Justice, the teenager communicated with her co-conspirator who identified himself as an active member of the Islamic State group.

Court documents revealed that the teenager and her ISIL fighter fiancé, a 32-year-old Tunisian who goes by the name of Y.M., shared a view of Islam as waging armed jihad against all non-believers and decided to get engaged.

Federal agents reportedly tried to dissuade Conley from leaving the country. Their attempts ultimately failed, even after the agents contacted the teen's parents to help moderate her views.

In April, Conley was arrested by the FBI at the Denver International Airport for attempting to board a flight bound for Turkey.

The federal agents found copies of al-Qaeda propaganda materials and Anwar Al-Awlaki's lectures as well as numerous books on jihadist groups during a subsequent search of the teenager's home.

In the months leading to her arrest, Conley has openly expressed her extremist Islamic views on social networking sites, changing her name to Halima and calling herself a ''slave to Allah", reported the Daily Mail.

Conley will receive her sentence in January. She faces up to five years of imprisonment and a fine of US$250, 000.

The Islamic State group is an offshoot of the al-Qaeda terrorist network that has declared Muslim caliphate in Syria and Iraq. According to terrorism expert, Peter Neumann, the group is responsible for the largest foreign fighter mobilization in history. It has so far attracted 12,000 recruits from 74 countries to take up arms in Syria.

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